CEN and CENELEC are reshaping standardization with the SMART project!
The SMART project delivered its first phase in January 2025 and some CEN and CENELEC Technical Committees are already using it. The second phase of the project will be delivered by the end of the year, so the current Technical Committees will be able to publish their SMART contents.
But what is SMART, and how does it work? Continue reading to know more!
The benefits of SMART
SMART provides an innovative tool to draft new standards. It streamlines the drafting process by providing a pre-structured layout. This allows drafters to focus fully on the content rather than formatting. They will be able to tag the most important requirements, which the end users will be able to retrieve easily.
This video of less than 2 minutes explains you the SMART project.
Until now, standards have essentially been written as a simple free text. SMART changes this and helps drafters structure the content of standards. For example, the type of information (requirements, permissions, examples, and so on) will need to be clearly identified and tagged, and provisions will need to be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound).
The types of documents that SMART will be available for are CEN and CENELEC’s homegrown deliverables: European Standards (EN), Technical Specifications (TS), CEN/CENELEC Workshop Agreements (CWA) and Harmonization Documents (HD).
Standard users will also benefit from SMART. After integrating a SMART standard into their system, standard users will be able to automatically extract a list of the elements which were tagged as important. This will improve clarity and simplify implementation for standard users. On top of the traditional PDF standard users receive, they will get a concise list of what requirements need to be met to implement the standard.
All in all, the SMART project marks a pivotal shift in European standardization, offering innovative tools for more efficient drafting and implementation. By integrating advanced functionalities, SMART addresses the evolving needs of both drafters and users, paving the way for a more effective standardization process.
CEN and CENELEC Technical Committees (TCs) interested in using SMART should contact the SMART mailbox (smart@cencenelec.eu). Availability is limited for 2025, maximum 20 TCs will be selected to participate this year.
In the coming months, we are organizing new info sessions explaining the project overview and timeline, including demos of the tool and Q&A. Join now via the dedicated training page: SMART Standards - Experts CEN.